Val Lehman Plays Miss Lynch in "GREASE"

It's not that easy to find additional information for this blog, and this story is a little old but worthwhile. Shame I only just found it.

Ex-Westleigh Collegian, Val Lehman, whom we all know well from the TV series "Prisoner" has appeared on stage in the musical "Grease" as Miss Lynch. 
Most of us knew her as Valerie Willis.

                                                             

                                                                       


                                                                

From the show's website:

Val Lehman is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Bea Smith, and winning the coveted Silver Logie and Best Actress Logie in 1981 and 1982, in the iconic Australian television series Prisoner.

Val escaped to make her mark in a number of other television shows, as Mary Facey in the Australian classic A Fortunate Life, Mrs Montalban in ABC’s miniseries Outbreak of Love, and notable guest roles in The Strange Calls, Blue Heelers and City Homicide amongst others. 

Her film credits include Charlie and Boots, I Live With Me Dad and Kitty And The Bagman.

More than a just a screen celebrity, Val also has a wealth of stage experience including Eunice in A Streetcar Named Desire, Lorraine in A Lie Of The Mind, Mother in A Touch Of Silk (MTC), Fania in In Duty Bound (QTC), Mom in Trafford Tanzi, and for Jally Productions, playing Mrs Meadows as well as directing Steaming.

 Her UK stage credits include Pearl in Summer Of The 17th Doll (Birmingham Rep), Mrs Boulton in Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Redgrave Theatre Farnham), Beatrix Potter in The Secret of Beatrix Potter (Key Theatre Peterborough), Miss Daisy in Driving Miss Daisy and Ouiser in Steel Magnolias.

 Her musical theatre roles include Margot Channing in Applause, Carlotta in Follies, The Wicked Witch Of The West in The Wizard Of Oz, Momma Morton in Chicago (twice) and most recently Aunt Eller in Oklahoma for Harvest Rain Theatre Company.

Val is thrilled to be in GREASE, and given the opportunity to relive an era in which she, herself was a teenager.

From Stage Whispers:
Television and theatre veteran Val Lehman will play the role of Miss Lynch in the upcoming Australian production of GREASE, producer John Frost announced today (May 29, 2013).

Lehman is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Bea Smith in the iconic Australian television series Prisoner, winning the Silver Logie and Best Actress Logie in 1981 and 1982, but she also has an extensive stage career. Her theatre credits include A Streetcar Named Desire, A Lie Of The Mind, Trafford Tanzi, Steaming, Applause, Follies, The Wizard Of Oz, Chicago and most recently Aunt Eller in Oklahoma. Her UK stage credits include Summer Of The 17th Doll, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Driving Miss Daisy and Steel Magnolias.

“Val Lehman will be the ideal Miss Lynch for our new production of GREASE,” John Frost said. “Wentworth Detention Centre’s top dog Bea Smith is now Rydell High School’s tough Principal Miss Lynch. We searched the length and breadth of Australia to find the perfect actress to play opposite our stellar cast, and found the wonderful Val Lehman. GREASE is one of my favourite musicals, and the huge demand for tickets proves it must be everyone’s favourite as well. 

GREASE is still the word!”

                                                                  

It's a big week for Wentworth Detention Centre alumni in Musical Theatre casting (with a theme of educational leadership), with Prisoner's Bea Smith's appointment as principal of Rydell High, following hot on the heels of  the news that 'The Freak', aka Maggie Kirkpatrick, will reprise her role as Headmistress of Shiz in the Auckland season of Wicked.

GREASE will open at Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre on August 20, with seasons at the Sydney Lyric Theatre from October 13, and at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne from January 2, 2014. New seats have just been released for the Brisbane season, and new seats will be on sale for Sydney from June 2.

Who could forget this movie?

More possible news:             
                                                      
It seems there is a Facebook for Preston which may be relevant. I can't be sure as I am not on Facebook.

                                                                  

                                                                        




                             

Another Class Photo of Westleigh Girls - Just In!

                                                                     

From Miriam Suss:

Hi Rosie
Hope it works.
I am the girl far left in the back row.

Thanks so much Miriam! 

I have never seen this before. A real 'blast from the past'!

This picture must have been taken in 1960, or earlier, as that was the year I left.

Although many faces look very familiar I can't remember all the names.

So far the only girls I can name most clearly are mentioned below:

Front Row – Faye ?, Carolyn Palmer, Pauline Amos and Charmaine Lehman.

Second Row – Elana Braianis, Wendy Sylvester (Killeen), myself, Diane Lehman and Rosalyn "Pippa" Law.

Third Row – Gail Clymo, Kay(lene)? Mottram and Kay Martin.

Fourth Row -  Miriam in the far left, Marilyn Richards, Christine White, Leonie Eastman, Anna Hansen and Jennifer Walker.

I may be quite wrong about the names and spelling. Sorry about that:( 

What a shame they didn't have our teachers there as well. 

My wild guess is that our teacher at this time was Mrs Oliver.

If any else can help please leave a comment. 

"Westleigh College, Northcote" by Trevor Batrouney - A History of the School

                                                                       

Some great new information from another “Westleigh Girl” – Harry Blutstein!

 

Many, many thanks, Harry! I am thrilled to receive any new information. Harry writes:

"I have put a post/comment on the blog. It is a comment to the last post as I haven’t worked out how to post an item of my own!

In any case, you can purchase the booklet, "Westleigh College, Northcote" for $10 from Trevor Batrouney. 

You can contact Mr Trevor Batrouney via email: trevorb[at]planet.net.au.

Find attached a report card for Raey Cope (I have others from between 1932-1937) and photos of what I think was one of the school buildings at 212 Clarke Street.

Trevor did give his permission for his contract details to be included.

[.....]

His book gave me the location of the school building in Clarke Street, and there are several others that I’ll investigate (and photograph).

What I think is remarkable about the report cards is the range of subjects offered.

At the time this would have been unusual for any school, let alone a private girl’s school.

It is a great pity that the school records were destroyed."

This is quite extraordinary!

In my time at Westleigh College  – 1954 - 1960 - the school was located in James Street so I don’t recall anything about Clarke Street.

Harry very kindly sent me the pictures which I have posted as well.

 

I especially like the report card, dated 1937, below.

It clearly shows Miss Clarice’s signature and the school emblem, or logo as we would now call it.

This was pasted into every book prize that was awarded on Speech Night

I mentioned that the Mayor of Northcote was Mr Batrouney while I attended Westleigh ColIege. I am assuming Trevor Batrouney is his son. 

Mr Batrouney always gave a speech at Speech night. And I mentioned this here. 

I also remember the school fees bill, as sent to my parents, looked very similar to the report card.

I don’t have any of these documents and any longer but I have no doubt they will look familiar to many ex-pupils.

Harry very kindly posted details in comments here.

Little by little more information will hopefully emerge.....stay tuned!

     

 Again, the pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them directly.              

                                            

Valerie Kathleen Lehman - Another Westleigh Girl - More Updates: Copyright Issues With "Prisoner Theme" Written by Allan Caswell

Helen Findlay has come up with another “Westleigh Girl”.

I don’t remember Valerie Lehman (née Willis) myself, but I certainly remember Val Lehman from the TV series “Prisoner”.

               [.....]

As a child (and a redhead) I was greatly impressed by Queen Elizabeth I and the fact one of the greatest nations in the world was ruled by a woman.

My headmistress and favourite teacher Clarice Everard was always saying `when you educate a woman you educate an entire family', I really believe it is so.

Actors like Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin and Bette Davis who fought for actors' rights also inspire me.

               [....]

 

The link to this piece as pictured is here.

Note the mention of Miss Clarice. 

I wrote about Miss Clarice here.

Many thanks for this information, Helen! Picture below from the larger class photo.

Fantastic stuff!
  

                                                                                                       

                                                                                 
                                                                                   

                                                                                                        
I have been watching re -runs of this show on Foxtel which has been great!
Val and all the cast are excellent!
Kudos to staff and crew!!

Proud of you,Val!!  Very proud!


Not only as as ex-WC girl, but as a human being!

                                                                                         

Another Update:

                                                                                                

                                                                                        

SQUABBLES over DVD royalties have divided the cast from the cult Aussie series Prisoner and caused one of the show's stars to claim she has been snubbed from a charity reunion. 

Val Lehman, who played famed ringleader Bea Smith in Prisoner, believes she was deliberately left off the guest list by the Scotland-based company Screen Star Events.

Channel Ten remakes Prisoner
Lehman negotiated royalty payments before the series first aired in 1979 and said yesterday jealousy and in-fighting over her lucrative cut was a factor in her not receiving an invitation to the November event.

Prisoner first ran from 1979 to 1986 on Australia TV, but has been syndicated across the US, UK and other parts of Europe, including Sweden.

The show continues to earn revenue from DVD sales and is a constant re-run on pay-TV.
"There are some cast members who are, perhaps, a bit jealous that I receive royalties from things like DVD sales - something I was smart enough to negotiate into my contract back in 1978," she said.

"But I was the only one smart enough to do it. And there are some that are just pissed off."

Described on the promoter's website as a "gathering of the full Prisoner cast", the reunion - which doubles as an AIDS fundraiser - is to be held in Melbourne on November 11 with tickets at $150 per head.

More than a dozen of the original cast members will attend, including Maggie Millar (Marie Winter), Margot Knight (Sharon Gilmour) and Annie Phelan who played Bea's gritty successor Myra Desmond.

A spokesman for Screen Star Events' Barry Campbell said the firm had intended to invite Lehman - but just have not done so yet.

"We are leaving some of the bigger names ... to be announced in stages to build up interest in the event," Mr Campbell said.

Lehman was unconvinced: "If they do I'll go. But that's very surprising that they've left it this long."

Lehman said the event aimed to raise money for AIDS charity Audacious Dreaming, something close to her heart.

With thanks to The Telegraph 

Val Lehman's website.

Val Lehman on IMDB.


According to Val Lehman's 'blog her favourite role was in "A Fortunate Life".
Picture below shows Val as Bert Facey's mother.

                                                                            

                                                                                                       
Here is a picture  of the original soundtrack of "A Fortunate Life".
Music by Mario Millo  and title song vocals by Jon English.                                                             

                                                                 
                                                              

I have a whole post on this mini-series on my other 'blog.




                                                                  

And another update:

There are also other articles on copyright issues there as it is a very complex subject; for example my posts on Melanie Safka, Cliff Richard and Led Zeppelin.

Please use the search function if necessary.
                                                                                                      

                                                                                                     

Australian Allan Caswell fails in Prisoner theme song copyright claim against Sony 

THE writer of the theme song to the hit TV series Prisoner has failed in his bid to sue Sony after claiming he was ripped off by the publication of a similar composition. 

Singer Allan Caswell launched legal action against Sony Australia after hearing Christmas in Dixie by the American country rock band Alabama in 2003.

Mr Caswell claimed the 1982 tune infringed the copyright of his 1979 hit On The Inside and that Sony had failed to take appropriate steps to protect this copyright with their US counterpart.

If Sony had done so substantial damages would have been recovered, he argued.

But Justice Michael Pembroke today dismissed the songwriter’s claim, saying there was no evidence any copyright infringement claim by Sony Australia would have been successful. During a hearing of the matter last month, the Supreme Court heard from a founding member of the band Alabama, Teddy Gentry.

Gentry “recalled with obvious and detailed affection the circumstances of the creation of Christmas in Dixie on a hot, midsummer day in 1982 at Lookout Mountain in Alabama”, Justice Pembroke said.

“He said that the first time he heard the plaintiff’s song was many years later, in the Nashville office of Sony US, after the plaintiff had made a complaint.”

Gentry lived on a farm and had little exposure to television. “I am satisfied that it is unlikely that he could have heard the plaintiff’s song by picking it up from the theme music of episodes of Prisoner,” Justice Pembroke said.

The court also heard that the central element of both songs is “one of the most basic and common harmonic patterns in all music”.

“There was no failure by Sony to exercise its discretion and, in the circumstances, nothing unreasonable, or lacking in good faith, in the way the discretion was exercised,” Justice Pembroke said, dismissing the claim.

From The Australian - July 3rd, 2014 

See also

Val Lehman Plays Miss Lynch in "GREASE"

                                                                         

Class Photos of Westleigh Girls - Just Received And Updated!

                                                                      

                                        

                                                       

                                                                       

I just received these pictures from Helen Findlay (née Wheeler).Click to enlarge.

I stand corrected that there were no class photographs ever taken as I said before. 

I can only conclude that perhaps my mother never ordered any, or perhaps the younger classes didn’t get their photo taken.

I had a close look but I can’t seem to identify any more, or add much more to what Helen has written – what a remarkable memory you have, Helen! 

And I thought I was pretty good.

I think most of the girls pictured were in a higher class than myself.


I am also sure some of them had younger sisters, for example Elizabeth White had a sister called Christine, Maria Braianis had a sister called Elana, who was in my year and who I have mentioned in this post, and Janice Mottram had a sister called Kaye or Kayleen – I think. Pamela Perry also had a younger sister but I cannot remember her name.

 

I can add that where I have put an asterisk after ‘head prefect Valerie’, third row – I am pretty sure it was Valerie McKenzie, and it was Valerie who gave Queen Elizabeth the bouquet of flowers I mentioned here.

I have put an asterisk after ‘Lyn’ in the front row, and I cannot remember her surname exactly.

 Helen thankfully just did. It is Lyn Campbell!

What I do recall about Lyn is that she went on to become one of Brian Naylor’s Swallow’s Juniors. She sang beautifully.

Sadly we lost Brian Naylor during the horrendous bush fires some years ago. He was an Aussie icon.

Swallow’s Juniors was a similar show to a much later one which Johnny Young did, called “Young Talent Time”.

I am assuming that these pictures were taken prior to 1960 or in 1960.

Helen’s comments:

Class Photo

TOP ROW... Lyn McRitchie, ... Pat Crawford, June Marshall, No5 ?, No: 6 ?? No 7 ?? , Jeannie Smith, Valerie Willis, Lyndal Dean.

2nd ROW Marika Filandriaki, Kerrie Tippett, Janice Mottram, Beverly ??, Anne McRitchie, No: 7 ??" Maria Briannis,[sic] No 9: ??? Anita Crawley

3rd ROW Coleen Bachelor, Rhonda Noble, Pam Perry, No: 4 ???, No : 5 ????, Robyn Shewan, Helen Wheeler, Pauline Amos , HEAD PREFECT VALERIE* ??, No: 10 ??? Yvonne Crawley.

FRONT ROW Elizabeth White, Carol ??, Susan Norris, Desley Tuttleby, Gisella, Lyn* ???,Elaine Bickerton, No: 8 ???, No: 9?? No; 10.

You may fill in the rest , best I can do after 50 yrs.(Helen says!)

Double Image: Heather Landers, Robyn Shewan, Teena Doupis, Sue Grimshaw.

Susan Norris Helen Wheeler, Gisella Hirschfeld.

Helen, Janice Mottram behind fence.

Bottom picture: Helen Wheeler taken early December 1959 in the Everard’s Garden. 

You look great Helen!!

Helen, many, many thanks for taking the time and trouble to send me this information and the pictures. I really appreciate this!

I have enlarged them as much as I can on Google Blogger.

 Having said that if you click on the photo you will get a larger image.

Also, if any one else is reading this and can add some information please leave a comment.

Again, thank you Helen!

PS:Just wanted to add that in the background of the double image one can see the  weatherboard school building, and the gates.


Below: My sister, Giselle. Possibly her first day at school.
Many thanks to my aunt for this picture which I just received.(2014)